


Solo Lodge

by Reioka



Series: Flash Fics [12]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Anniversary, Flash Fic, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 01:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15546729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reioka/pseuds/Reioka
Summary: Tony should have known that his anniversary gift wouldn't appeal to his boyfriends.





	Solo Lodge

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the sentence prompt: “We’re in an abandoned lodge in the middle of nowhere. Sure, you’re totally right, nothing bad could ever happen here.”
> 
> Edit: Steve and Bucky made a bad call here but they're not the only ones at fault. Tony unilaterally took over plans for their anniversary without Steve and Bucky's input and if you don't think that's a problem you should probably sit and think about why that is.

Solo Lodge

 

Tony had known as soon as he’d sprung the surprise that it had fallen flat. He always did too much, went just that little bit too far. Steve and Bucky hadn’t even pretended to be happy, too upset with the extravagance, the expense. He’d tried to insist that they only had a one year anniversary once, so of course he’d gone all out, but their faces had just gone tight and unhappy, so he hadn’t brought it up again. He just waited at the airport for as long as he could on the date he’d told them, but once his pilot had said they had to go or file another flight plan, he’d solemnly gotten onto his jet alone.

 

He wondered if Steve and Bucky would still be there when he got back, and was so disappointed in everything that for a moment he honestly didn’t care if they weren’t.

 

The lodge was quiet. But then, he’d wanted it that way. He’d bought the old ramshackle place and fixed it up, hoping for a romantic getaway, maybe a few team vacations. But now it was just him, alone, for two weeks. There was a working office here. He could probably print out some contracts and go over them. No reason to mope for two weeks. Pepper would probably be happy if he faxed some stuff over while he was gone, so he wasn’t so backlogged when he got back.

 

As it got darker, the lodge got even quieter.

 

 _“Sir, as per protocols, I’m informing you that you have reached prime 'horror movie victim’ status,”_  JARVIS said from his phone.  _“However, I must remind you that the likelihood of you being murdered here is very slim–less than four percent.”_

 

“We’re in an abandoned lodge in the middle of nowhere. Sure, you’re totally right, nothing bad could ever happen here,” Tony mumbled. “Wish something would.”

 

 _“Sir,”_  JARVIS said, affecting an offended tone.  _“Don’t say that.”_

 

“Why not?” Tony huffed, standing up and beginning to pace the office. “At least I’d have some excitement! Hell, if it was one of our usual villains, they might be able to help me work through some of the fucking food I sent here! And then I wouldn’t be–” Alone, he was going to say. He stopped where he was, hands loosening from the fists he’d had them in. How pathetic.

 

 _“Sir?”_  JARVIS questioned gently.

 

Tony rubbed his eyes and let out a shuddering breath. “Just. I. Why couldn’t they–” Accept that I’m like this. Accept that dating me meant ostentatious displays. Accept that I’m a man made of broken, jagged pieces and little else. “I’m going to bed,” he whispered, instead of saying any of that, and waited for JARVIS to give his customary ‘alright, goodnight, Sir’ before hanging up.

 

He saw that he had a few missed calls, a few texts. Pepper had sent him something along the lines of, ‘Why are you working on your vacation you idiot.’ Natasha had asked a simple ‘Are you okay?’ Tony’s thumb hovered over the voicemails, but then he decided against it. He didn’t want to know if Steve and Bucky had called, and he knew he’d just feel worse if they hadn’t.

 

He sent off a text to Natasha saying he was fine, then turned his phone off.

 

Tony sat and stared at the desk for a long time before he finally got back up. He thought he should really try to go to bed, but he drifted past each of the bedrooms without opening them anyway. It really  _would_  be a nice place to bring the rest of the team, he thought. There was a lot they could do–skiing, snowshoeing, snowball fights. Clint probably had some awesome trick shots for snowball fights.

 

And when everyone got tired, they could all come back to the lounge, with its nice, well-stuffed couches, the giant fireplace, a drying rack for wet socks and sweaters, and piles upon piles of blankets to cuddle up in. Tony wandered around without purpose for a few minutes, then decided he’d light a fire so the room didn’t look so dark and gloomy. He knew he wasn’t going to sleep in a bed, anyway.

 

The room felt marginally less depressing with a crackling fire, and even though he was already quite comfortable, he wrapped himself in a blanket. It felt like being held. Tony closed his eyes and pretended it was arms around him instead of fabric. He should have asked Rhodey or Pepper to come with him. Pepper liked to ski, and Rhodey liked to cuddle. Tony would have still missed Steve and Bucky, but at least he wouldn’t have felt so alone.

 

“Happy anniversary, Tony,” he whispered to himself, and wondered it counted. Were they still in a relationship? Had he made it for an actual year? Would he still have boyfriends when he went home? …Would it still be home, if they weren’t?

 

Feeling jittery and anxious, Tony went to the kitchen and grabbed one of the bottles of champagne (Bucky liked it) and a bowl of chocolate-covered strawberries (Steve liked them). Steve and Bucky weren’t going to have them, obviously, and he felt just shitty enough that he wanted to overindulge in everything. He might just eat nothing but chocolate and booze for the entire two weeks, he felt so bad. He went back to the lounge and curled himself up in the blankets again, eating berry after berry and drinking directly from the bottle, because there was no one there to impress.

 

There was no one there except him.

 

Tony drifted up to the feel of someone stroking a hand over his head. Maybe Natasha had read his text and decided to come to him anyway, or Pepper, when she realized he was working even though he’d already run himself ragged getting everything done before he left. It felt nice. His head hurt–not the typical pulsing of a hangover, but a dull sort of ache that made him aware that he hadn’t hydrated himself very well last night. The fingers carding through his hair were soothing against the ache.

 

“Hey, sweetheart,” Steve said gently. “There you are.”

 

Tony blinked up at him before whispering, “Hi.”

 

Bucky leaned over Steve’s shoulder. “How are you doing, honey?”

 

Tony smiled. “Better. I’m having a good dream. You’re here and you still love me.”

 

Steve and Bucky’s expressions went sad at that.

 

Tony’s smile fell. “I’m sorry. I’ll be quiet. Please don’t go.”

 

“We’re not going to go, sweetheart,” Steve told him gently.

 

“I don’t want to be alone anymore,” Tony whispered. “I wish you’d be here when I wake up.”

 

Bucky’s fingers trembled as they brushed over Tony’s cheek. “We will be, doll. Oh, honey, we’re so sorry.”

 

Tony leaned into his hand with a happy hum. “It’s okay.”

 

“It’s not,” Steve said softly, heart heavy with guilt. “It’s not okay, Tony. We were assholes about this.”

 

“Don’t be sad in my dreams,” Tony whispered, nuzzling into Bucky’s palm. “We’re happy here. You love me here. I haven’t ruined anything here.”

 

“Honey, you didn’t ruin anything,” Bucky choked out. “We were just upset because we thought you wouldn’t like the gifts we got for you. You always do such big things for us, we felt bad that we never had as much for you.”

 

“I don’t need big things,” Tony answered softly. “I have big things. It’s the little things I’ve never had.”

 

“We know,” Steve whispered back. “We know that now. We’re so sorry it took so long to figure that out.”

 

Tony closed his eyes for a moment, then let them drift back open. “Does this mean we’re still together?”

 

“Yeah,” Bucky said, voice cracking. “Yeah, baby, it does.”

 

Tony smiled at them softly. “At least I get to tell you ‘happy anniversary’ in my dreams. Happy anniversary.”

 

“Happy anniversary, sweetheart,” Steve and Bucky whispered back. Steve stroked his fingers through his hair again as Bucky gently sat down beside his head. “Go back to sleep.”

 

Tony hummed sleepily and let himself drift back into sleep obediently. It really did feel like arms wrapped around him instead of blankets.


End file.
